Again.
Again.
Again.
By sight and by sound, it was as terrifying as it was beautiful.
I approached her slowly, not wanting to disturb her from whatever thoughts had taken up residence in her mind. Her face was turned down, her eyes focused on a Tarot card in her hand. After a beat, I cleared my throat to let her know I was near, but she didn’t move at first.
Then, with a deep sigh, she finally tucked the card into her back pocket and turned to me, offering a sad smile.
“Can’t sleep?” I asked, then shook my head, realizing my mistake. Gray slept during the daylight hours now, if she slept at all. “Sorry. Still getting used to your new routines.”
“Me too.” She leaned into my embrace, tilting her face up to meet my eyes. “I still climb into bed at the same time every night, only to remember I’m supposed to sleep during the day now.”
“You always were a night owl, though,” I said, brushing my lips across her forehead. “So it shouldn’t be too much of a hardship.”
She smiled again, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “No brownies tonight, huh?”
I raised my hands in surrender. “It’s not my fault—I swear. We’re out of chocolate, if you can believe that.”
“House full of witches? Yeah, I believe it.”
“I brought you something else, though.”
A gust of icy wind lashed us both, blowing her hair into her face. She swept her loose curls back, gathering them together at the base of her neck.
Steadying myself for any number of possible reactions, I retrieved the envelope from my shirt pocket, opening it up and tipping the contents into my hand. “This belongs to you,mi querida.”
Gray gasped at the sight of it, her eyes glistening with tears.
“Elena was able to retrieve it from the station,” I explained. “They’ve closed the case on the Landes murder, naming Jonathan as the primary suspect, officially believed deceased.”
She reached for my hand, slowly closing her fingers around the crescent-moon amulet.
“Thank you,” she whispered, pressing her hand to her chest.
“Would you like me to put it on you?”
She nodded, handing it back so I could fasten the delicate chain around her neck. The crescent moon came to rest just beneath her collarbone, glowing faintly against her skin.
I smiled. “It seems Calla is still with you.”
“Always,” she whispered, fishing the Tarot card from her back pocket. “I asked for a message just before I came out here. Some sign that we’d be okay, that we were on the right path.”
She turned the card so I could see it. It was the High Priestess, a woman dressed in blue robes, surrounded by tiny butterflies.
“This card always shows up when I’m thinking of my mother. Myrealmother,” she amended. “Calla.”
“I remember it from the night we dug up your book of shadows,” I said. “It slipped out when you opened it for the first time.”
Gray nodded, her smile softening. “I don’t see or hear her like I do with Sophie sometimes, but I sense her in other ways. Namely through the card. Sometimes I’ll dream of her, though, and then I wake up and smell her perfume.”
“I sense my parents, too. More lately, since Elena and I have started to reconnect.” I tucked her hair behind her ear, my hand lingering on her cheek. I had Gray to thank for bringing my sister back into my life. It was just one more thing I loved about her, one more thing that made my heart feel full every time I looked into her eyes.
“I love your sister,” she said. “She doesn’t take any shit from you.”
“She loves you, too.” I pulled her close again, inhaling her scent, her familiar sweetness mixed with the salty tang of the crisp ocean air. In my mind, an image danced through unbidden—my sister, crying tears of joy, helping Gray make adjustments to her wedding dress.
